


In An Instant

by staymagical



Series: Keithtober 2019 [22]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Blood and Injury, Car Accidents, Hospitals, M/M, Major Character Injury, Motorcycles, No Major Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-15 06:20:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21248834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/staymagical/pseuds/staymagical
Summary: It’s funny how everything can be right in the world until it’s just...not.The car in front braking, swerving and Keith reacting on instinct, twisting the bike with a hard pull to the bars and a tightening of Lance’s arms around his middle. But it was too much too sudden and they go down hard. They hit the asphalt and slide across its surface tumbling in a screech of metal and tires.The last thing he remembers is the lack of warmth around his waist.Lance, he lost Lance somewhere.





	In An Instant

**Author's Note:**

> Keithtober Day 28 & 29: Motorcycle and Fighter

It’s funny how everything can be right in the world until it’s just...not.

How a seemingly normal day, late afternoon sun beating down on the faded road as they ride along the two-lane highway toward home, can turn upside down in an instant.

With just the squeal of brakes and swerve of a car, the peace shatters.

Keith blinks up at the cloudless sky through the cracked windscreen of his helmet. He blinks again, and then again, brain trying to catch up with what he’s seeing, make sense of the pain that’s flaring down his left side until it concentrates on his shoulder, hip, and the entirety of his leg.

He attempts to take a breath that doesn’t come. Agony tears through his chest and he coughs which only makes it worse but air isn’t coming and he can’t breathe and he instinctively makes to curl in on himself to alleviate it but that only sparks life in various fires all over his body. 

And then he remembers. 

The car in front braking, swerving and Keith reacting on instinct, twisting the bike with a hard pull to the bars and a tightening of Lance’s arms around his middle. But it was too much too sudden and they go down hard. They hit the asphalt and slide across its surface tumbling in a screech of metal and tires.

The last thing he remembers is the lack of warmth around his waist.

Lance, he lost Lance somewhere. 

It sends a jolt through Keith, a panic so strong he’s pushing through the pain, forcing his broken body to move, to do something, anything to find Lance and ensure he’s okay. 

He doesn’t make it far.

Keith blinks up at the cloudless sky in an odd sense of deja vu. But this time, he knows what happened, that he passed out with his whole body alight in aches and sharp agony and he knows he can’t move. He can’t make it to Lance wherever he is and his chest grows tighter with choking panic and clogging fear so strong he’s afraid he might pass out again. 

There’s a distant shout from his right and Keith turns his head to find the source, forgetting for a moment that he still has his helmet on. But even so, his vision blurs too much to see much of anything. Keith closes his eyes, willing himself to settle, to just take small shallow breaths. It does nothing to mollify the panic.

Everywhere hurts, pains making themselves known the longer he lies there but all he can think of is Lance and the lingering ghost of his arms around his waist and weight against his back. How he was right there, not a moment ago, happy content and safe. 

And now, Keith doesn’t know where Lance is. He could be bleeding out in the middle of the street and Keith. Doesn’t. Know.

He needs to find him. Needs to be there.

The panic isn’t helping his lack of airflow and Keith chokes, coughs and he’s sure he blacks out for another moment again because the next time he opens his eyes, Lance is there.

God, he’s the most beautiful sight, even with blue eyes sparkling with worry and fear and face pinched and brow furrowed. He’s still beautiful even with blood trickling from a cut in his hairline.

“Keith?” Lance’s voice is muffled and his hands come up to either side of Keith’s head. There’s a bit of pressure until gently, the helmet slides off with a wince. 

The world around comes slamming back in at full volume. Shouts to the right, a car engine purring and the crunch of asphalt and broken glass underfoot.

Keith opens his mouth to respond only for his throat to close and the words come out as a strangled cough. Agony races through his chest.

“Don’t move,” Lance places a steadying hand on Keith’s good shoulder—if it can even be called that with how it aches and twinges under his gentle touch—eyes wide with barely contained panic. Then he glances over his shoulder at something or someone with an urgent shout of, “Call 9-1-1!” before focusing back on Keith with a softening gaze. “It’ll be alright, you’ll be okay, just stay still.”

Keith fights through, calming into slow short breaths until finally, he’s able to whisper, “Are you okay?”

Lance shakes his head, a smile cracking across his lips bordering on grotesque as it mingles with the blood streaming from his head. “I’m fine. You just worry about yourself for once.

But Keith only has eyes for Lance. “Your head,” he breathes, hand moving on instinct to finger at the skin below Lance’s injury. And he’s surprised to find his right arm is still under his control, though it throbs. Guilt claws at Keith’s chest and he swallows a lump. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. If I had just reacted faster—”

“No, shut up, there was nothing you could have done.” His reassurance and waning smile do nothing to appease Keith’s guilt. “I’m fine.”

He’s lying, of course, Keith finds out later after he’s loaded up in an ambulance and wakes up from surgery to find Lance with a cast on his arm and stitches on his forehead. But he doesn’t bother arguing, his energy reserves depleted as his body struggles to heal. Instead, he just melts into Lance’s embrace, soaking in the warmth of his touch and breathing reassurances and promises into his skin. 

They’re alive and even though the guilt still eats at his heart, he’s just thankful Lance is here and relatively whole. He’s happy he took the brunt of it.

No matter what Lance may wish to the contrary, he would do it again in a heartbeat if it meant Lance walked away unharmed.

And later, days later after he’s finally released, Keith will discover the mottled blue and black skin wrapping around Lance’s chest and the guilt will consume him once more. But Lance doesn’t let him wallow. He spends the night kissing love and comfort into every injury, soothing the aches and easing the guilt with tender touch and fine-tuned love until all that’s left in Keith is gratitude and affection and a love so deep, he happily drowns. 

**Author's Note:**

> Check out my Instagram for more Klance and VLD drabbles and short fics: [staymagwrites](https://www.instagram.com/staymagwrites/)


End file.
